By HANA KIM
6 News Reporter
KNOXVILLE (WATE) - President Barack Obama touched on topics from taxes to war to the economy during Tuesday's State of the Union address.
He also touted successes in education reform and called for more progress. The president promoted several key initiatives he would like to see all U.S. schools adopt.
"I am proposing that every state, every state requires that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn 18," said President Obama.
Knox County Schools Superintendent Dr. Jim McIntyre says Tennessee is already ahead of the game when it comes to attendance.
"The law in Tennessee is you either graduate or be 18 or get a waiver, if they are willfully not attending school they are considered truant in the State of Tennessee that's where law enforcement or juvenile court will take over," said McIntyre.
"Grant schools flexibility to teach with creativity and passion to stop teaching to the test and to replace teachers who just aren't helping kids learn," said Obama.
"We don't teach to the test. We teach to standards. We set standards. We say this is what we want our students to know and be able to do we set high expectations," said McIntyre.
When asked what would happen to teachers not making the grade, McIntyre said, "There is a very small proportion of our teachers who need intensive additional support to improve their instruction and do what they do and then there is what I would characterize very minuscule number of teachers who even with that support may not meet our standards and if they can't they will be invited to find other professions."
McIntyre said he is confident the majority of his teaching staff is doing a great job, he has a strategic compensation package awarding teachers for their performance and results in the classroom.
The dropout rate for the class of 2011 was 12.6 percent.
